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Silver Birch situated at Stop 8 on Trail 1 |
Situated at Stop 2 on Trail 3 |
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Mature Silver birch |
Leaf |
Autumn leaf |
Back to Trail 3
THE SILVER BIRCH
Béith Geal ( Irish )
Betula pendula ( Latin )
The silver birch is slender and paper white and this with the fine network of dark branches ending in thin drooping twigs gives the tree a very dainty appearance. It will reach a height of sixty feet in about fifty years , but it is a short lived tree.
The leaves appear April, and are grey-green in colour. Being so small and light they rustle in the slightest breeze. The flowers appear just as the leaves open. The male catkins are more than an inch long and drooping; the female catkins are more erect and smaller.
The fruits mature in June being gradually dispersed great distances by the wind until the onset of Winter. This, plus the fact that the tree grows well even on poor soils, makes it a popular colonist of forest clearings, pastures, and fallow land. The silver birch is a light-demanding tree and stands up well to both frost and the suns heat.
The hard, tough and flexible wood is used for making small articles such as brushes and toys, and for interior woodwork.
